Magical Detective Yue
by Dragontrapper
Summary: Five years after saving the Magical World, Yue Ayase finds herself back at Mahora with a new job - Investigator of the strange and the paranormal. But if there is one thing Mahora is good at, its surprising you.
1. Prologue: Dark Watch

He pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he slipped through the crowd, his unusual silhouette unnoticed by the crowd – though he doubted these mortals would be so calm if they could see what he actually looked like. Then again, this was where He had come from, and many of His pawns were still around. His eyes narrowed as he considered how much damage they could do to his plan, if given the chance. Well, no matter – he would just have to make sure that they never got the chance.

He could still make out his so-called partner up ahead, attempting to disappear into the crowd and failing. His entire plan had been put in jeopardy, by one man – one simple mortal. He was not even from Mundus Magicus, but simply a hired local. The thought set his teeth on edge. He had underestimated the locals once; he would not do it again.

His fingers curled around the jewel in his hand. No, not again.

He continued to stalk his prey through the town, weaving through the crowds as silent as a wraith, always careful to keep his target in sight. Unlike his prey though, he could not blend in, no matter how little attention the locals gave him. Sooner or later, he would be seen. Then the real game would begin.

And soon enough his prey came to a stop, almost mid-step. His target froze where he was, the way a person does when somebody is staring at them. When his prey turned around though, he didn't bother to look away like most people would. He simply kept staring and watched as the color drained from his face. Behind his mask, he grinned. He was going to enjoy this.

His prey began to run, but it mattered not. One finger traced over where his left ear would be as his grinned widened. There was no escape now. Even as his prey shoved and jostled his way through the crowd, he kept his pace steady. He was going to draw this out, watch as his target slowly realized that there was no hope, no way out. Then, and only then, would he finally exact his revenge.

The crowd continued to just ignore him, now paying more attention to the panicking young man barging through scores of people then the looming figure calmly slipping around pedestrians. Sadly, the target wasn't much of a challenge and he soon caught up with him outside what looked like a train station. A single backhanded swing sent his target sprawling, and the pedestrians around him scuttled back, the sudden violence of action something they were unused to.

"You tried to steal from me," The cloaked figure hissed, taking a step forward that caused his target to skitter back. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

"Come on man!" The young man defended himself, backing himself further away from the cloaked figure. "You don't need all of those! Besides, you can't even use them around here."

"Then you have no need to take them." The figure snapped back.

"They don't even work!" the young man yelled back. "Those things haven't worked around here in years!"

"That is none of your concern." The cloaked figure replied calmly. "What is of your concern is how I plan on dealing with you."

"You can have the junk back!" The young man pleaded, pulling himself to his knees. "I can't even move it! Nobody wants to buy."

"You assume that all I am interested in is taking back what was originally mine."

The young man gulped. "W-what are you interested in?" He watched as the cloaked figure extended on hand and, calmly, dropped the jewel at his feet.

"Watching you burn." The cloaked figure twisted his hand in a strange gesture. He would not be stopped. Not by some hapless pawn of his own with delusions of grandeur. And not by some half-rate Ministra Magi with a few clever tricks. "Ignio"

And then the square erupted in flame.


	2. The Beginning

You could tell a lot by how people stared.

The population of Mahora Academy had, over the years, become quite accustomed to more bizarre sights – dirigibles, dinosaurs, even the occasional Martian invasion – to the point that they often didn't bat an eyelash. Naturally, anything that did catch their attention would often leave an outsider openly staring.

The young woman before them was a perfect example. Most locals would see the white untucked button shirt and slightly rumbled black pants and simply assumed she was one of the many overstressed teachers that Mahora's institutions were wont to produce – even the brown coat, though unusual for April, could be attributed to shower the day before and the gray clouds that still blanketed the sky.

What was slightly harder to explain was the tall, slightly drooping pointed hat resting atop her head, the wide brim pulled low over her eyes. As used to strange things the locals might be, some things were still uncommon. People in wizard's hats were one of them, though the staff was probably a factor as well. So the locals passed by the dark-haired woman, taking the furtive glance in her direction as they went. The many tourists, visitors, and new arrivals simply stared or did double takes as they likely had all day. It was, after all, a Tuesday in Mahora.

The woman they were staring at, however, paid them no mind. She had other things to worry about – like the place she had just rented, and was now standing in front of. Sure, she gets the entire third floor to herself and it was even close to the train station. It also leaked, the water heater didn't work properly, got drafty in the winter and – despite being younger than she was, was supposedly haunted.

Still, better than Nodoka's couch.

With a sigh, Yue Ayase, Captain of the Ariadne Knights and out-of-work mage fished the key out of her pocket and started heading up the stairs.

The shipping people were going to be by in an hour and she had to make sure they could get in if she didn't want them leaving all of her belongings on the curb.

She trudged up the stairs, a single bag in tow containing some essentials that she didn't trust anybody else to move in one piece. She fumbled with the keys for a little before managing to get the key into the lock. As well-meaning as Nodoka might have been, a late night lecture gig was probably not a good idea when she couldn't just sleep the whole thing off the following morning.

The door swung open with a groan, showing the large empty room that made up most of the flat. The entire front wall was made of oversized windows, extending the entire length of the building's front. The bedroom and bathroom doors were the only disturbances along the back wall, while a small kitchenette was tucked into the far corner.

She had taken about ten steps into the apartment when the phone began to ring. She jumped at the unexpected ringing, taking a quick moment to look around and confirm that, in fact, nobody else was in the apartment. Letting out a breath, she walked over and picked up the handset on the fourth or fifth ring. "Hello?"

"So, how's your new place?"

"Dammit, Nodoka," Yue grumbled as she leaned her staff against a wall. "How on earth did you get this number? I don't even have it."

"I suggested the place to you, remember?" On the other end of the line, Yue could hear Nodoka trying to suppress a laugh. Yue had known Nodoka since middle school, and they could read each other's moods with ease, even over the phone. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just tired." Yue yawned halfway through the statement as proof. "Thanks for that job, by the way."

"No problem," Nodoka assured her. "Professor Okabi hates teaching night classes." And so do I, Yue thought. Instead, she decided not to interrupt her friend as she kept talking. "Any luck finding some work?"

"None," Yue replied, moving across the apartment towards one of the bigger windows. "Though I'm not surprised, all I technically have is a philosophy degree."

"And five years with one of the most prestigious militaries known," Nodoka added.

"One of the most prestigious militaries known in Mundus Magicus," Yue corrected her. "More than half of my credentials don't even exist over here." Her shoulders slumped a little. "Sometimes I wonder why I came back – I had a nice apartment and everything."

"Because you missed home?" Nodoka suggested. "Besides, you've only been back six months - give it some time. Didn't Okabi offer to take you on as an aide?"

"I don't want to teach, Nodoka." Yue frowned as she looked out the window. A couple of people were running away from what looked like the direction of the train station. "I was helping people over there."

"You can still help people over here." In the background, something beeped. "Ah, give me a minute." There was a clatter as she set the phone down and the faint sound of footsteps. Yue turned her attention out the window as three more people ran past her building, all from the same direction. After a moment, Nodoka returned. "Sorry, where were we?"

"Helping people over here," Yue quoted back. "And I can't, really. Not without breaking every rule the ISSDA has."

"You can get waivers, you know," Nodoka defended. "Negi…"

"Negi's busy saving the world," Yue sighed. "What about your job. Things going well at the lab?"

"Yeah," Nodoka replied with only a hint of her real enthusiasm. "The University just got some artifacts from a museum dig for clean-up and restoration. We think-"

Whatever Nodoka said next was drowned out by what sounded like massive explosion. Yue pulled the blinds open to try and see where it had come from.

What she saw was a massive pillar of flame shooting into the air from near the train station. She watched it as it swirled into the air, towering above the surrounding buildings as it whirled like a demonic tornado, glowing reddish-orange against the grey sky for a searing minute before it suddenly disappeared like the flame of a snuffed out candle.

"I've got to go." Yue hung up the phone without preamble before bolting out her door and down the stairs.

Once she was out of the apartment, it was easy to figure out which way to go - all she had to do was run in the opposite direction everyone else was.

She went through the possibilities in her head as she ran down the street. That hadn't been an explosion, or any sort of pyrotechnic device. It had been a calculated act of magic, and it looked like it had been in open public.

She did not like where this train of thought was going.

It only took her a couple of minutes to reach the train station. The entire area was an open, stone paved square. Turnstiles covered one entire length of the square while the other three sides were lined with café's and storefronts. In front of all of them were collections of chairs and tables or product displays. Usually, the place was bustling with the semi-relaxed rush of Mahora students heading to and from their classes or on their way to club activities.

Now, however, that usual rush had come to a complete stop. Anybody who had hung around was frozen in place, most of them still sitting at their café tables. A few people had come to a stop inside the square itself, and all of them were staring at the same mostly empty circle in the middle of the square.

Key word 'mostly'. In the middle of the twenty foot wide clearing, a cloaked figure stood alone. The cloak's hood obscured its face, leaving it concealed in shadow. The rest of the heavy black material shrouded its body, leaving its form indistinct beyond its height and the arm extending inside the folds. The black-clothed and -gloved limb was already being withdrawn, the figures' work done.

At its feet was a blackened, charred figure that might have once been a person before this morning. Now it was almost unrecognizable, its entire form blackened and flaking, its mouth frozen mid-scream. The stones underneath it were blackened and cracked from heat, a small groove around the charred figure marked where the edges of the vortex of flame had melted grooves into the paving stones, the deepest parts still glowing orange.

The entire square was deathly silent, nobody willing to break the figure's strange reverie and potentially make themselves the next target for an impromptu public cremation. Even Yue froze, a dozen yards from the figure and standing alone in the gap between shops that the street ran through. Everybody was waiting for the pin to drop, and the only question was who would drop it.

After a tense couple of minutes, the burnt figure slumped over and hit the ground with a dry, crackling thud like a heavy bag of autumn leaves. That was all it took to snap the crowd out of their silence. People screamed, bolting for the nearest path out of the square, many of them heading straight past Yue in their rush out. The cloaked figure, for his credit, simply looked at the panicking masses, with a slow sweep – before freezing on Yue.

Well, that's interesting.

The figure began to sweep the crowd quickly, as if expecting to find something else hidden in the rushing masses. Deciding that this had gone on long enough, Yue reached for her staff – and found it missing. She bit out a curse as she realized she had left it at her new apartment in her rush out. Well, she thought, no point in letting it slow her down. "Hey!" The figure in the cloak froze again, turning in her direction again to see her heading in his direction. "Man in the cloak-"

"Freeze!"

Both of them turned to face the new voice. The order had come from a young man, probably Yue's age, on the other side of the square and quickly closing the distance between them. His hand was halfway into his windbreaker, a gold police badge on his breast pocket standing out against the black fabric.

The figure glanced between the two of them and, after a moment, decided that the cop represented the bigger threat. Pivoting and extending a black clothed arm, a flick of his wrist sent a fireball shooting toward the officer.

The cop had enough time to spit out a curse before dropping to the ground, the speeding ball of fire hissing as it flew through where his head was a moment before and then proceeded to crash into a light pole and sputter out – but only after melting half way through the metal light piece.

Doing so, however, exposed his back to the trained combat mage, which would generally fall under the category of 'bad idea'. And while Yue didn't have her staff, that didn't mean she couldn't do anything. She crossed the 30 feet between them in a heartbeat with a magically enhanced kick-off, and proceeded to transfer all of that momentum into a punch aimed at the figure's head.

Except, somehow, he saw it coming. With almost casual ease, he leaned out of the way, the blow passing harmlessly half an inch from his cloaked head before he grabbed Yue's overextended arm.

Then, with seemingly little effort, he flipped Yue through the air, up and over his head, before launching her across the square.

The cop had just enough time to get back onto his feet before Yue unceremoniously crashed into him, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Yue groaned as she tried to get back onto her feet. "I must be getting out of shape…"

Taking a moment to let her head clear, she started to pull herself off of the cop who was busy laying on his back and holding the back of his head. "You all right?" This close, she could finally get a decent look at him. Short cut, dark black hair and grey eyes that were currently unfocused from his head hitting the ground. He looked like he was taller than her, but not by much.

"…Ugh," The cop groaned out. "Alright, that was bad…" The cop slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times when he saw Yue staring down at him. "…Though not as bad as I thought."

Yue's retort died on her lips as a cry echoed from the crowd. Yue turned around to see the cloaked figure rushing toward the crowd. "Come on, he's getting away!" She didn't bother waiting for a reply from the still disoriented cop before she bolted after the figure.

The crowd parted in front of him, nobody willing to make themselves the next potential target for public cremation, leaving the way clear for both of them. Some people were slower to get out of the way than others, including one man with tattoos across half his face who barely managed to duck a swing before scuttling out of the way. The figure took a quick look over his shoulder as he dashed past but continued on his way through the square.

The last few people moved out of the way, leaving the path straight down the alley clear. She took a quick look over her shoulder, but all she saw were a bunch of panicking pedestrians, and the cop was nowhere to be seen. Biting back another curse, Yue continued down the alley.

Well, now that she was out of sight, she mused, she could really let loose. "For so Kratika Socratia…" The air around her started to crackle with energy, some of her magical energy petering as she channeled it. Even in the middle of this lunacy, a small grin made its way across her face - This was what she was trained for.

She kept running as she gestured toward the running figure, about to turn one of the narrow side-alleys. She couldn't do much without a proper focus, but what she could do would be more than enough.

"Unus Fulgor Concidens Noctem, in Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat! Fulguratio Albicans!" A bolt of lightning shot forth from her hand, arcing through the air with a resounding crack as it jumped the distance between the two of them.

But, once again, he somehow saw it coming. He backpedaled instantly, redirecting himself to continue down the alley as the bolt stuck a building corner, sending chips of stone flying in every direction.

"Oh, come on!" Yue muttered as she let lose another bolt which was again dodged. After a half-dozen bolts, she stopped trying since all she seemed to be doing was racking up a lot of property damage. She couldn't just chase after him forever though – she needed to pin him down, preferably without destroying the surrounding building or getting in trouble with the ISSDA and being turned into an ermine. She needed something mundane.

It was then, right as the cloaked figure was taking a look over his shoulder, a very mundane cop with a very mundane baseball bat stepped out from around the corner and swung.

There was a sickening crunch sound and the bat connected with what was likely the figure's lower jaw. For a brief moment, his entire upper body seemed to jerk back in lurid slow motion, his head rocking back on his neck as speckles of reddish fluid flew out in an expanding fan. An instant later, normal time reasserted itself as, while his upper half had come to a painful stop, his lower half tried continue on its way. His entire six foot plus figure seemed to rotate around the bat before gravity took over and he hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Where did you come from?" Yue asked the cop, somewhat surprised. "And where did you get the bat?"

The cop laid the bat over his shoulder, a grin over his face. "Picked it up on my way around." He kicked at one of the figures' legs, its owner still reeling from the hit. "I don't think he's from around here."

"And what gave you that idea?" Yue deadpanned, running a finger across the surface of a nearby wall. Her finger came back stained purplish red - Blood, but not human. "The Ringwraith get-up, or the reflexes?"

The cop's grin shrunk as he looked away. "His sense of direction, actually." He pointed down the alley in the direction the figure was running. "This alley doesn't actually go anywhere – even the offshoots are just for maintenance. A local would know that."

"And a professional would have bothered to scout out his escape routes before pulling something like this…" Yue added.

"Unless it wasn't planned," The cop suggested with a shrug. "Maybe it was an opportunity thing." The cop paused for a moment. "Though, that was a lot of pyrotechnics for something that wasn't planned."

Not if you have magic, Yue thought to herself, but kept the comment to herself. She liked being human, thank you very much. Instead, she suggested, "Why don't we ask him?" At their feet, the cloaked figure was starting to stir.

"Allow me." The cop handed Yue the bat before grabbing the figure by the lapels and pulling him up to eye level. This close, they could see the real reason they couldn't see the figures face – it was entirely covered in a solid piece of black cloth that slowly rustled under its breath. The cop glared at the blacked out face. "You just incinerated somebody in the middle of my city. Mind telling me why?"

The figure chuckled, a low, wheezy sound. "I do not, mortal." It speech had a strange rasping accent to it. "But if you release me, I will let you live."

"How about we do this?" The cop replied. "I drag you back to the station and pull the answers I want out of you."

"You cannot imprison me," the figure cackled. "You cannot comprehend me."

"I can comprehend you just fine," the cop hoisted the figure a little higher; its legs limp beneath it. "Can you comprehend a jail cell?"

"That is your plan?"

"Yes, it is," the cop continued. Behind him, Yue rolled her eyes as this all played out and walked behind the cloaked figure before, after giving it a couple of test swings, cracked the bat over its head.

"Or, we could do that," The cop finished as Yue handed him the bat.

"My turn." Yue took hold of the cloaked figure. "He might have rules," nodding toward the cop "but I don't, and I think you know exactly who I am. So why don't you do yourself a favor and tell us what's going on?"

The figure simply cackled again. "I know who you are, Ministra Negi. You do not scare me. You will be dust beneath my feet when I come. You will perish like the rest of them. You will fall before me like wheat at the harvest."

"I'm tired of games," Yue growled.

"As am I," the figure hissed. "I look forward to killing you the next time we meet, little witch." He lets out one last cackle before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

"Son of a…" The cop bit back his curse as he looks around. "Smokescreen?"

Yue sighs. "Something like that." If he was going to provide a non-magic explanation for this, that was fine by her. That just meant she didn't have to try and tell him it was CG.

"Well, whatever it was couldn't have gotten him far." The cop gave her a shallow bow. "Thank you for the help, miss…?"

"Ayase." Yue returned the bow. "Yue Ayase. It was no trouble, Officer. I've done this sort of thing before."

"Inspector, actually." He reached into his jacket and pulled out his badge, flipping it open to reveal his ID. "Masamichi Sonoda, Mahora Special District Office." He gave Yue a minute to scan over the ID before pocketing it again. "Where exactly have you done this before?"

Yue shrugged. "My last job was interesting. I'm guessing you saw a lot more of what happened than I did."

"I was on my coffee break," Sonoda admitted. "Saw the Ringwraith take a swing at the victim, then they started arguing. Next moment – woosh." The Inspector scratched the back of his still sore head. "I've never seen anything like that, which is saying something. You?"

"Didn't see much," Yue replied as they started heading back toward the square. "I was in my apartment when I saw the cyclone – that sort of thing catches your attention. I came running over to see what happened, and you pretty much know the rest of it."

Sonoda nodded. "He seemed to recognize you. You ever met him before?"

"I make a habit of not hitting my associates with baseball bat," Yue answered. "And I doubt he's heard about me from around here." Elsewhere, though, was another story.

"What about what he called you?" Sonoda suggested. "Minister something?"

"No clue," Yue lied as the got back into the square. The panicking pedestrians had calmed down, and multiple people had their cell phones out.

Sonoda reached for his belt, pulling out a radio. "This is Sonoda, I've got a body at South Station Square, Possible homicide. Suspect pursued but I lost him." There was a pause as somebody on the other end of the radio said something that Sonoda didn't seem to agree with. "No, I couldn't wait for back up. Yes, I know I'm supposed to call it in first, but the guy was running-" He stopped mid-sentence as the radio squawked. "Why you…Fine, I'll hold." He muttered a curse as he put the radio back.

Yue smirked. "Boss troubles?"

Sonoda sighed. "I am completely unappreciated." He started toward the center of the square, Yue following behind them.

Nobody had come near the scene, most of the people still standing where they had been when everything had started. Sonoda was leaning over the body, searching for clues to whoever it had once been.

"You could check for a wallet," Yue suggested.

"Yeah, but this guy looks like he might start crumbling any second and…" Sonoda did a double take as he saw Yue examining the other side of the circle. "Hey! Get away from there!"

Yue just looked up at him from her examinations. "Don't worry, I won't touch anything." Sonoda seemed to debate it for a moment, the decided to let her continue and went back to trying to get the wallet out. Yue went back to her examination of the circle. It was around five feet across, and complete unadorned. The circle lacked intricacies of a pre-made circle. The Inspector had been right – it hadn't been a trap. Their mysterious runner had simply summoned up a cyclone of fire.

The circle itself was a ring around and inch across and nearly two inches deep. The gouge was completely smooth, a miniature trench melted straight into the blackened paving stones.

"Anything?"

"Gimme a minute..." Sonoda grunted. "Got it!"

Yue looked up to see Sonoda holding up a singed wallet. "let's see what we've got…" Sonoda's face fell as he carefully opened the wallet. The only thing inside was a piece of black cloth. "It's empty, except for this." He waved the cloth around. "You find anything?"

"I can tell you that the circle probably came from the cyclone." Yue replied, "Which puts its temperature at around…"

"…2000 degree." Sonoda completed the sentence. "And with no set up."

"Impressive," Yue added, but for different reasons. She had seen a lot of magic before, and she was familiar with unincanted spells. But she had never seen a unincanted spell on that scale before – even Mcdowell had to do the full incantation for her larger spells.

But if he was that powerful, why run? Anybody as powerful as McDowell should be able to vaporize her as easily as they had their victim. She took another look at the circle, trying to see anything that would explain it.

The only thing that stood out was a single pit right in the middle of the circle, right under where the victim had been. Carefully, she stepped inside the circle.

"Well, Forensics should be here shortly, they might be able to…" Sonoda paused. "What are you doing?"

"Hold on," Yue knelt down in the middle of the circle. At her feet was a little hole, slightly smaller than her fist and shallower then the surrounding ring. The cavity itself looked like it was coated in glass, a semi-translucent red blob ringing around it. "Not sure – might be the origin or the blast."

"So we have a fire with no apparent source, a victim with no ID, and a suspect who vanished in a puff of smoke." Sonoda sighs. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he did this with magic."

"That's as valid a theory as any." Yue replied.

"Right," Sonoda shook his head. "Tell me you have a better theory?"

Yue looked over the circle. "I'll let you know when I get one."


	3. Bits and Pieces

"Well, I can't say we weren't expecting something like this eventually." The blonde woman sighed as the technicians from the Special District Office began to cordon off the center of the square.

"Problems, Kuzunoha?" Yue had only met the woman on a few times, mostly when the blonde was functioning in her role as Head of Operations for Mahora's mages – like right now. Her hair was tied back in a long ponytail, and she was dressed in the same crisp suit that seemed to be one of her trademarks. Her other trademark was the sheathed sword tucked under one of her arms. The swordswoman sighed as she pushed her glasses.

"Yes, but nothing on this scale, luckily." She watched the technicians as they carefully examined the charred remains. She, like Yue, knew that that they weren't going to find anything. Whatever had happened here, it was well past their scope – which meant it fell into hers. "Ever since the Lifemaker incident, we've been having people slipping through the gate illegally - usually crossing over to our side." Kuzunoha frowned. "Though, it has dropped off in the last few months."

"Maybe they heard I was in town," Yue shrugged. "Anyway, I'm guessing nobody who came over before was quite this obvious?"

"No, which is why I'm worried." Kuzunoha sighed. "It looks like this week just got very busy. Takeshi won't be happy – we had dinner plans tonight."

"How's he doing, by the way?" Yue asked. "After Marrakech…"

"Ah, yes." A small grin spread across the blonde's face. "He took it surprisingly well, actually. He seems to enjoy the idea of being married to a magical girl."

"Aren't you technically a swordswoman?" Most of what Yue knew about Toko Kuzunoha was second-hand, but everything she had heard said that she was a very level-headed woman and an expert in the Shinmeiryuu sword style. The first time Yue had met her hadn't lent much credence to the 'level-headed' comment, but she was worried about being turned into an ermine at the time, which was liable to throw anybody off-balance. Besides, that particular timeline didn't exist anymore – no point in holding it against her. Setsuna had trained under her for several years and would vouch for her capabilities.

"Not that that tends to matter in our politics," Kusunoha replied. Technicians continued to fan out across the crime scene, carefully documenting and photographing each piece of evidence before gingerly placing it in a sample bag. "A magic user is a magic user - Though Setsuna would probably know more about that these days."

"Part of the deal when you're the bodyguard for the head of the Kansai Magic Association," Yue suggested. "Tends to be the sort of thing that keeps you busy." Though she doubted Setsuna even cared about that.

"As I fear this will keep me," Kuzunoha sighed, before pausing. "Unless…."

Yue arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"As I told you, my people are already stretched thin trying to contain those who have already crossed over," Kuzunoha explained. "We simply can't afford to transfer any manpower to this case."

"Surely you must have people in the police?" Yue asked, interested in where this was going. Having people embedded in local law enforcement would make covering up any magic-related crimes infinitely easier, and considering the pull the Dean had, probably easy to implement.

Kuzunoha shook her head. "Nobody high enough up in the chain to actually investigate this – they could, at most, contain any information leaks. Luckily, I think I've found an alternate solution."

Now Yue was very interested. "Which is?"

Kuzunoha turned to Yue. "You."

"Me?" Yue echoed.

The swordswoman gestured toward the Inspector, who seemed to be in an argument with what was probably a superior officer. "You assisted the Special District Office Inspector when you first arrived. You are already positioned to ensure any investigation undertaken will proceed properly without any… undue risks." It was clear to Yue what she meant by 'undue risks' – the chance that somebody might find out about magic or, more likely, find out about magic and then die from the encounter.

"I'm…not sure." Yue mulled the idea over. It was a tempting offer. "I just got a new apartment; I'm still looking for a job…"

"You will be adequately compensated," Kuzunoha replied, already pulling out her cell phone. "Any costs you incur during the investigation will be reimbursed, along with our usual freelance rate."

"That's quite generous, but…" Yue paused. "You have a freelance rate?"

Kuzunoha grinned. Meanwhile, the technicians had begun to prepare the body for transport. "How do you think we pay for Miss Tatsumiya?"

"I don't exactly have jurisdiction around here…"

"And neither did Miss Tatsumiya, usually," Kuzunoha answered, dialing a number. "You will be working under the authority of me and, by extension, the Dean."

Yue sighed. Well, it would be nice to do some proper work again – even if she wouldn't have the same resources she was used to. The idea of some pay was nice, too. "Alright, then – what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Stay close to that inspector," Kuzunoha replied as they loaded the now bagged victim into a van next to them. "He'll probably need your help on this." With that, she started walking away, already talking with somebody on the phone – must likely providing an update on the case.

Next to her, she heard a small clink. She turned to see one of the technicians placing a charred limb back into place as a small bronze-colored piece rolled to a stop at her feet. She cautiously leaned over to pick it up; trying to make sure she didn't draw any unwanted attention.

The piece was the size of a thimble, and covered in what runes she'd seen at one of Nodoka's digs. She looked up toward the inspector who was currently making his way over to her. "Issues?"

"Just a disagreement with the boss," Sonoda shrugged. "It happens. I'm going to need you to come down to the station with me, file a statement – the usual boring paperwork."

Yue shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do." All she was really planning today was to wait for her couch to show up anyway. Kuzunoha wanted him to stay close to this Inspector anyway – Yue was starting to think he might need her help before this was all over.

Sonoda gestured for her to follow as he started heading down the street. She took a quick look behind her back towards the other officers before turning back to Sonoda, who had now come to a stop since his witness wasn't following him. "Isn't there a protocol for this?"

Sonoda shrugged. "Usually we'd get a patrol car and drive you down, but the train is faster. As long as I keep an eye on you, Legal just cares whether I fill out the paperwork or not." Yue raised an eyebrow at the statement before she started after him. Satisfied that she was in fact following him, Sonoda continued on his way down the street.

"So," Sonoda turned to Yue as they waited at a streetlight. "You mentioned a prior job back there – former cop?"

"Not really." Externally, Yue stayed calm, but internally she grimaced. The last thing she wanted was anybody looking into her background too closely. She really didn't want to be an ermine. "Just some security work now and then." Security work that usually involved fighting heavily armed mages who could melt rocks into slag with a few quick words and a pertinent gesture.

"I see…" Sonoda shrugged. The signal changed, and the pair were on their way again. Her past forgotten for the moment, they continued on for a few more blocks before arriving at a grand-looking four-story structure. It was, like much of Mahora, built in the old European style with lots of stones and imposing columns. Elaborately carved entablatures wrapped around the building, mythological creatures decorating the stone.

Yue stared up at the building. She was used to seeing overdesigned buildings – her old dorm had a bath that put most resorts to shame – but this was something else entirely. "This is your office?"

Sonoda nodded, opening the door for Yue as he led them inside. Past the entryway, the entire space opened into a towering atrium, ringed on each floor by elaborately carved colonnades of marble, while the floors were yet more stone – a reddish hue to match the red painted walls. Far above her head, an arching roof of steel and glass let the natural daylight pour into the open space. The place felt more like an up-scale hotel then a government building. Yue couldn't help but stop in the middle of the space, staring up at it. Sonoda just grinned at her. "Impressive, isn't it? Used to be a post office, if you can believe it - After they moved out, it got turned into government offices. Rumor has it that there are all sorts of secret passages in it from over the years." Sonoda led them toward an elevator, where the old fashioned dial ticked past the numbers before coming to stop over '1' with a chime as the doors opened. "Not that I've found any. My office is on the third floor."

In contrast to the relatively calm lobby, the third floor was a prime example of organized chaos. A dozen or so people were currently seated in chairs that lined the hallway leading from the elevator toward the atrium, while more officers rushed in and out of rooms lining hallways to the left and right. "Busy place," Yue commented.

"You should see things during Mahorafest," Sonoda replied, leading them down a hall to the right. "Though from the stories I've heard, the biggest one was five years ago with these…." Sonoda stopped as he realized that Yue was no longer following him. Instead, she was currently examining a somewhat underused vending machine. "What are you doing?"

"Getting a drink," Yue replied as she made a selection.

Sonoda raised an eyebrow as he saw what she had selected. "That's eel-flavored."

Yue nodded as she popped the cap. "I haven't had it before – should be interesting."

Sonoda blinked. "Interesting," Sonoda repeated. He opened his mouth to say something, and then promptly closed it. Shaking his head, he simply gestured for her to follow. "I've got to make a quick stop before we handle your report." They came to a stop in front of an office with a window looking out into the hallway. Inside, a single figure was hunched over a computer. "This should only take a minute." Sonoda fished a card out of his pocket and swiped it over a pad by the door, eliciting a buzz and a click from the door as it unlocked. For a brief moment, the whir and buzz of whatever equipment operated inside the room poured into the hall before the door swung shut behind him, leaving only the clamor from the front to fill the hall.

Well, no problem. You didn't get as far as she had without a few tricks, and one in particular was just for a situation like this. Taking one last quick look around to make sure nobody was watching, she quietly recited her activation phrase and the spell before she gently pressed her fingers against the glass behind her. She had gotten the idea for the spell after a discussion with Asakura. As a reporter, Asakura often needed to collect information. This included from sources that were…less than interested in sharing with her. For such situations, she used a laser microphone – A device that bounced a laser off of an object in the room, usually a window, and interpreted the vibrations as speech. It was a deceptively clever technique and, according to Asakura, nearly undetectable.

Yue didn't have a laser on her, but she could use the next best thing. Her little spell would let her read the vibrations from the window and hear it like she was inside the room.

"-ou can't just carry evidence in like this." Alright, almost like she was in the room. It sounded like she was listening through a giant metal tube as every word had a strange reverberation to it. At least she could hear them now – Yue took another sip of her drink as she listened to the technician complain to Sonoda. "You know the rules about this stuff."

"And that's why I brought it to you, Yuuji," Sonoda replied, taking the complaint in stride. "Don't forget to sign for it." There was a scratching sound for a moment – a pen across a plastic evidence bag. "Thanks. Now could you tell me what it says?"

"It doesn't say anything," Yuuji replied. Yue took a look through the window. Inside, the figure who was working at the computer had now turned his chair to face Sonoda. Dark hair hung down nearly to his shoulders, his lab coat hanging loosely over a dark t-shirt as he talks to the inspector. Around him, brightly lit work stations were squeezed in between blinking analysis machines and centrifuges. A handful of flat screen displays hung from the wall in several places, most of them showing a bouncing police logo. "I've already seen three of these things today – it's just a form of ID."

"Three others?"

Yuuji nodded. "There was a raid on a contraband ring. Most of it was the usual stuff – bootleg DVDs, stolen electronics. All three of the guys caught inside were carrying one of these," Yuuji gestured to the cloth, "and they all seemed to be in a hurry."

"Any idea why?"

"Probably has to do with the one thing they had that didn't make any sense." Yuuji pulled up a picture on the computer, and even from this distance, Yue recognized it. Apparently, so did Sonoda.

"That's one of those toys from that Mage battle thing a few years back, right?" Sonoda asked. He was right, mostly. The object on the screen resembled the large-bore combat magic converters used during Mahorafest, where they were more commonly referred to as 'magic bazookas'. "Looks like a magic bazooka. What are they doing with them?"

"Who knows?" Yuuji replied. "It's not like they actually work." He was mostly right – It was quite probable that the weapons were still functional, but without the massive magic output of the World Tree, for most people they were just elaborate props. "Though you wouldn't have guessed that by how they were acting. According to the reports, all three had tried to run with as many of the things as they could."

"A lot of trouble to go through over some toys," Sonoda said. "Are they still in the building?"

"Haven't even been interrogated yet," Yuuji replied. "Think you can get in on this case?"

"Seeing as its now directly related to my current case," Sonoda said, "yes, I do."

"That's assuming the Chief doesn't pull you off of it entirely," Yuuji replied. "I doubt he knows you're even in the building." Yuuji paused. "Actually, since you used your key card to get in here, he probably knows now."

"He can do that?"

"He remotely tracks the vending machines." Yuuji turned back to his computer. "He knows."

"Damn," Sonoda muttered. "I've got to go." Yue listened to him walk towards the door, letting the spell dissipate as he stepped back into the hallway. "Back."

"Looks like things might be complicated." Yue took a sip of her eel drink. It actually wasn't bad.

Sonoda sighed. "Yeah, between the goons and the…" Sonoda stopped mid-sentence. "Wait, how did you know that?" Before Yue could reply, a door down the hall slammed open, making both of them – along with half the people on the floor – jump.

"Sonoda! Get in here!" A black-haired figure leaned through the door into the hall. The only other thing Yue could make out from this range was a bobbing tip of a cigarette. Sonoda let out a sigh and started down the hall. Yue followed, taking one last sip of her drink before tossing it into a nearby trash bin.

The office was well-appointed and well-placed, having one of the few outside windows that were actually allocated to a personal office. A pair of free-standing lamps in the back lit the room, dark red painted walls and wood trim poking out between floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Only the wall at the front of the room was lacking the cases, instead being covered with numerous framed certificates, awards, and aging photographs. At least one of them, Yue thought, showed somebody that looked very much like Sonoda standing next to a younger version of the man that had called them in here. The man in question was now seated behind a desk, a trimmed black mustache twitching along with the cigarette as he glared at Sonoda over his square-framed glasses. A few stray strands of his black hair were hanging out of place, only helping to make him look angrier. At the front of the desk, a brass nameplate was mounted, engraved with the words 'Asahi Yanagisawa – Chief Superintendent'. "So, what is it this time, Sonoda?" Yanagisawa leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "The Loch Ness monster tried to eat evidence? Martian invaders threatened the crime scene? A wizard pulled his wand on you? What possible reason could you have to run after a suspect without calling it in and leaving a crime scene uncontained AGAIN?"

Sonoda stood in front of the desk, one arm behind his back and another scratching at his cheek as he avoided direct eye contact with his boss. "Fleeing ringwraith?" One of the Chief's eyes twitched. "Okay, he looked like a ringwraith. And he was standing over the victim. He decided to run, and I decided to chase after him."

"And this stopped you from calling it in?" Yanagisawa asked.

"I decided that apprehending the suspect was worth risking the containment of the crime scene."

"A suspect that you failed to actually catch!" Yanagisawa pointed out.

"In his defense, sir." Both men turned to look at where Yue was standing in the back of the room, Yanasigawa seeming to notice her presence for the first time. He seemed quite surprised that anybody else was even in the room. "The suspect had a covert means of escape prepared ahead of time. There was very little Inspector could have done to actually apprehend the suspect, or know about such an escape mechanism."

Yanasigawa blinked a couple times before turning his seemingly permanent glare on Yue. "And who the blazes are you?"

"Yue Ayase." Yue bowed. "I arrived on the scene shortly after the explosion and assisted in the pursuit of the suspect."

Yanasigawa leaned back in his chair. "And how much of the incident did you actually see, Miss Ayase?"

"None," Yue answered. "I saw the explosion and headed towards it to see what had happened."

"So," Yanasigawa said, "You ran towards an explosion, and then proceeded to give chase after somebody who had likely set off said explosion. Is this correct, Miss Ayase?"

"Yes sir."

"I see," Yanasigawa's fingers drummed on his table. "You used to be a cop?"

"No," Yue replied. Technically true – she was never a cop, just a knight. And, technically, she still was. "I just have some prior experience with people such as this."

"Really?" Yanasigawa asked, not sounding very surprised. "Since, in my book, normal people don't have experience with pyromaniacs who can apparently teleport."

"My last job was…." Yue hesitated, trying to think of the best way to word her answer without revealing too much, "very interesting."

Her comment appeared to give the chief pause. "I see…" He repeated, though this time it seemed to actually mean something. He turned to Sonoda, and sighed. "You're a good cop, Sonoda. Just like your father." Sonoda seemed to tense up at that, but the chief didn't seem to notice. "Your father, however, knew how to follow the rules. Always did things by the book."

"I'm not my father," Sonoda replied stiffly.

"I've noticed." Yanasigawa glanced toward Yue again. "Have you taken her statement yet?"

"No, you-"

"Get her statement down, and then get her paperwork filled out," Yanasigawa ordered, snuffing out his nearly consumed cigarette and pulling out a new one.

"Paperwork?" Sonoda blinked for a moment before realizing something. "Oh no, you don't mean…"

"Yes I do," Yanasigawa replied. "Unlike you, I trust her to not try and pull something over on me. You're one of the best Inspectors I have, but half the time you are a liability on your own. That's why I like the idea of having her around." He turned toward Yue. "Though, you are hiding something – though I doubt it can cause as much trouble as him." There was a moment of silence as the Chief seemed to consider her, then he turned back to Sonoda. "Get that paperwork done, and then get to work. Dismissed."

Sonoda gave a nod and walked out of the room, Yue following close behind – if a little more politely. Once outside, Sonoda gave a sigh. Yue glanced at him. "Does this sort of thing happen often?"

"The Chief and I don't usually see eye-to-eye," Sonoda replied, starting down the hallway. "He's been the chief here since I got out of the academy, and I can count the number of times we've agreed on anything on one hand."

"He seemed to know your dad."

Sonoda snorted. "Everyone here knows my dad – the Chief is one of the few who worked with him before."

"Before?"

"The Chief and my dad got pretty good at their jobs," Sonoda explained. "After a few years, they both got a job offer from the NPA. The Chief declined. My dad accepted."

"That sounds pretty impressive," Yue said.

Sonoda shrugged. "They closed a lot of cases together, made quite the name for themselves. He's something of a benchmark around here – people always wonder if they're as good as him."

"And you don't?" Yue asked.

"Don't have to," Sonoda replied. "Everybody does it for me. A lot of them are surprised I don't share my Father's….methodology."

"If by 'methodology' you mean 'not following the rules'," Yue answered. "And you wonder why your boss has a problem with you."

"Oh, I know exactly why he has a problem with me," Sonoda answered. "Probably why he wants you around – thinks I'm less likely to pull a stunt with somebody watching me all the time."

"What exactly does that mean?" Yue asked. They turned off the main hall and started down a smaller one before stopping at a non-descript door labeled with nothing but a number.

"He wants me to sign you on as a consultant," Sonoda explained. "Which means more paperwork for me; on the bright side, you can't really have a crime drama without two people. I can already imagine the sales pitch." He made a dramatic gesture. "He's a maverick detective. She's an outsider with a mysterious past. Together, they fight crime." He dropped the pose he had inadvertently taken with a shrug after a few moments with no response from Yue. "Yeah, I wouldn't watch it either."

Yue decided she was better off focusing on his first statement. "A consultant?"

"Yes, a consultant," Sonoda replied. "Probably just for this case, initially. If it goes well, you'll probably end up on a retainer. After that, the Office will pay you to stay on call if they ever need you, and in exchange you get to ask 'how high' when they say 'jump'. It's like being a cop, except without the dental."

"Inspector Sonoda," Yue said. "I really don't think I can actually be of any help on this case…" The last thing she wanted was to get a police inspector trapped in the crossfire between her and a murderous mage.

Sonoda turned to face Yue, his expression solemn. "Miss Ayase, you will follow me around, you will get paid for it, and you will like it." Yue just stared back at him, surprised by the strange change of attitude, and after a moment Sonoda simply sighed and hung his head. "That was a joke. But seriously, it's a good gig – you should see your hourly rate."

"This is quite unnecessary." Yes, she needed to investigate this case, and yes, Kuzunoha said to stay close to the inspector, but this seemed a little beyond that. "Like I said, I can't actually help out…"

"You got the chief to stop yelling at me," Sonoda replied, going back to filling out the paperwork, "which I appreciate immensely, and the chief thinks you can help." He finished the form with one final flourish before handing it towards Yue. "And I'm inclined to agree with him on this sort of thing. So, please, sign the form."

Yue gave a resigned sigh and accepted the form, and Sonoda raised an eyebrow. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't want to get paid." Yue didn't reply as she signed the form after giving it a quick look-over. To be honest, she didn't want to get involved this much – the police were in way over their heads in this. It would be dangerous to get them involved. It was more dangerous at this point, however, to leave them be. So now she would just have to try and finish this before anybody got hurt. Besides, she was already getting paid by the school. Getting paid twice just felt wrong.

"Thank you." Sonoda took the form and slipped it into a nearby box, presumably to get processed before grabbing another folder. "Now, we can get to work. First things first – interrogation."

"Shouldn't you examine the evidence first?"

"Why would I?" Sonoda replied as they headed towards the interrogation rooms. "That's the lab's job."

"Examination of the evidence may provide useful leverage against the suspects and thus allow us to gain useful information," Yue replied, quoting one of her teachers from the academy. "iscientia est potentia/i. Going into a situation unprepared is foolish."

"Well, we wouldn't want it to be easy, now would we?" Sonoda shrugged. "Besides, have you seen our lab? We'll be lucky to have the results on those things by Friday. Better to already have the case built by then and just use the lab results to back it up."

"And if the lab results don't mesh with your case?" Yue asked as the stopped in front of one of the rooms.

"Then I guess I didn't do my job very well, did I?" Sonoda opened the door. Inside a somewhat rough looking, sullen young man sat at a metal table looking like he would be somewhere else.

He looked up when the pair walked into the room. Sonoda calmly walked over and sat at the open chair while Yue stayed near the door. The young man eyed Yue with suspicion. "What's she here for?"

"She's here to make sure I don't hurt you," Sonoda replied, which seemed to catch the young man's attention. "So, why don't we start with why you were trying to hide a bunch of toys instead of the piles of stolen electronics?" The suspect remained silent. "Well, since you aren't saying anything, I guess I'll just think out loud. Want to know what I think? I think you pissed somebody off and now he wants you and your friends dead." Sonoda pulled a set of photos out of his folder and spread them out on the table. The suspect visibly paled at the photos, all of them showing the burned corpse from the station at different angles. "I figure this guy," Sonoda tapped on one of the photos, "was a friend of yours, and the lot of you pissed of Mr. Pyro. So now he's going to turn you all into crispy critters."

"He will if I talk," the suspect replied. "I say anything, and I end up like him. I'm not burning for some nobody."

"Kind of a harsh way to refer to a friend of yours," Yue noted.

"He wasn't a friend," the suspect replied, his eyes still fixed on the photos. "He showed up one day, promised some easy money and then things went pear-shaped."

"What are the toys for?" Sonoda demanded.

"Why should I tell you?" The young man shifted in his chair. "I'm dead, anyway."

"Because she wants to know as much as I do," Sonoda replied, pointing at Yue. "And the guy that did this…" He pointed at one of the photos. "…ran from her."

They made the suspect pause for a moment, but he remained defiant. "Your point? You can't protect me."

Sonoda nodded. "True. With the right paperwork, I could hold you for a month before I have to actually charge you with anything, but I think I'll just let you go." He turned to Yue. "How long do you think it would take the perp to track him down?"

"Not very," Yue replied. "You can't seriously be suggesting…"

"I am." Sonoda turned his back to the suspect. "Unless he gives me something to work with."

The suspect shifted nervously, "Alright, fine. There was another guy – we've worked with him a few times; tends to know good marks. A little skittish, but useful. He showed up one day with some guy and said the new guy could get us easy money. All we had to do was hold on to a bunch of toys."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Sonoda said.

"But," the suspect continued, "After a few weeks, we were all getting antsy. That was when the new guy said he knew another guy, somebody who would want to buy the toys. We'd just take some of the stock and sell it behind his boss's back. Piece of cake."

"But the boss found out," Sonoda finished.

"But the boss found out," the suspect repeated. "And now I'm on the run from the gorram boogeyman!" He dropped his face into his hands.

"Why all the drama over the toys?" Sonoda asked calmly, ignoring the suspect's apparent distress.

"How should I know?" the suspect replied. "I was just supposed to hold onto the damn things. All I know is that they looked like bazookas."

"Maybe they were, you know," Sonoda suggested, "Bazookas?"

"Can't fire a Bazooka when it's sealed shut." The suspect shook his head. "The other stuff too – they all looked like guns – except the ones that looked like magic wands."

"Magic wands?" Sonoda repeated. "As in 'Magical girl' magic wands?"

"Hey, like I said." The suspect shrugged. "I just stored the damn things."

"Right." Sonoda rose from his seat and started walking out.

The suspect started to follow, only to be stopped by the cuffs that were chaining him to the chair. "Hey, what about me? What about our deal?"

Sonoda shrugged. "Depends on how useful you were." He slipped out the door and, after a moment, Yue followed.

Sonoda was leaning against the wall, staring toward the ceiling as a he fiddled with a coin. Yue narrowed her eyes at him. "Were you actually going to hang that guy out to dry?"

Sonoda shrugged. "No, not really. But he didn't know that. And now we know that he was being used by somebody."

"Somebody he only knew through our victim," Yue replied, flatly, "who is dead."

"Means whoever he was working for was has a plan," Sonoda replied. "You don't put that sort of distance between you and your mooks unless you're hiding something."

"Something worth killing over," Yue replied. "You threatened to let him die."

"Are you still hung up on that?" Sonoda asked, incredulous. "It was a bluff, and it worked."

"What if he had called you on it?" Yue turned to Sonoda. "What, then? There's a reason stunts like that are against regulation in most places – they're a bad idea."

"This entire case is going to be like this, isn't it?" Sonoda sighed. "Every time I bend a rule, you're going to get upset. No wonder the chief liked you."

"They are the rules for a reason," Yue replied. "Even the seemingly stupid ones." She had seen herself the butterfly effects such a thing can have. Though Chao's plan five years ago had been elaborate, that had only been due to the measures in place to stop anything less from destroying the Masquerade. Such rules existed for a simple reason; the fallout from the wrong choice can be dangerous.

"Well, I've always seen them more as 'guidelines'," Sonoda said. "For the moment, let's set aside the fact that I violated Department policy and offended you at the same time and focus on why a bunch of smugglers were trying to hide a bunch of toys."

"It is a quite a way to go over some toys," Yue suggested; this was her problem – unless something major happened, she couldn't actually tell him - or anybody else - anything. She knew that the 'mooks', as Sonoda had referred to them, were moving magic-powered weapons. But she didn't know why, or from where, and she couldn't get the Inspector to help because she can't tell him anything. So, all she could do was try and point him in the right direction. "Maybe they aren't just toys?"

"Possible," Sonoda agreed, "they might be hiding something inside them." Sonoda started down the hall, back towards the lab from earlier. "Yuuji should have started working on them by now."

Yuuji was, in fact, dismantling one of the bazooka-like devices by the time they got to his lab. He looked up from the lit workbench as the two of them walked in, his lab coat still hanging over his shoulders. He arched an eyebrow when he saw Yue. "Who's the chick?"

"Yanasigawa thinks I need adult supervision," Sonoda replied. "Guess he's worried about collateral damage."

"After that last case," Yuuji turned back to his table. "I'm not surprised."

"Come on," Sonoda said. "It wasn't that bad."

"You burned down a building."

"That wasn't my fault." Sonoda defended. "So, what are you working on?"

"One of your 'magic bazooka's." Yuuji gestured to the partially disassembled tube in front of him.

"Find anything interesting?" Sonoda asked. "Or should I come back Friday?"

"Well," Yuuji replied. "I've come to the conclusion that this thing does, in fact, run on magic." Sonoda arched an eyebrow. Yue froze. Yuuji picked up a component from the table – some sort of quartz-like crystal. "This stone is obviously human shaped – there are machine marks on it even – and it's covered in runes. Guy from linguistics says they look, and a I quote, 'kinda Nordic,' and he knew that only because he studies Norse mythology as a hobby. The other stuff in here makes even less sense. The things I don't find are circuit boards, batteries, mechanical linkages or even clockwork." Yuuji slumped back. "Either this is an actual magic weapon, or a really elaborate prop."

"So," Sonoda asked. "No counterfeit money?"

"Not unless some little Polynesian island uses feathers for currency." Yuuji remarked, holding up a bright red feather.

"Only in giant bundles," Sonoda replied casually.

"Why am I not surprised that you know something like that?" Yuuji sighed. "I did find a serial mark, I think, but none of the databases could translate it into anything useful. Sorry, Masamichi – dead end."

Sonoda sighed. "Thanks, Yuuji." He turned to Yue. "So, any ideas?"

"A couple," Yue replied. "Why?"

"Care to share any of them?" Sonoda answered. "Since, at the moment, my best theory is that we are chasing after a Sumerian demon."

Yue's hand drifted into her pocket as she considered her options. The school wanted her to investigate this, and for now that seemed to mean getting the Inspector involved. She could, however, keep it from going past that. "Outside."

After a quick word with a somewhat confused Yuuji, Sonoda followed her back out into the currently empty hallway. The clamor from the front office still echoed, but this far into the building, nobody was within sight. "So," Sonoda started. "Why are we out here and not in there?"

"Because I would rather limit how many people know about this," Yue replied as she pulled the bronze-colored ring out of her pocket.

"You took a piece of evidence from the scene," Sonoda observed, grinning. "So you can break the rules."

"Who said I was following your rules?" Yue replied. Technically, she was within her right as an agent of the School to collect evidence. She thinks.

"Still," Sonoda leaned closer to examine the piece, "nice to know you aren't a complete stick-in-the-mud. Hmm… Looks like a coupling; a machinery piece?"

"Maybe," Yue replied. "It's engraved." On 'top' of it was some sort of strange sigil that she couldn't quite make out.

"Looks too small to be a ring, too fancy to just be purely mechanical," Sonoda commented. "It might be piece from a necklace of something. Think we could take it to a jeweler or something?"

"Not exactly."

"So," Sonoda asked, "Where?"

"Not where, who," Yue replied. "I think we need to talk to the bookstore."


	4. The Bookstore

"So why are we going to the bookstore?"

"Not going to," Yue corrected the inspector, "Talking to." It was already the afternoon by the time they left the station. The sun had finally broken free of the morning's blanket of clouds, and now the town shined of gleaming white or red edifices and green rooftops. A cool breeze made its way up the street, mingling the smells of Lake Mahora with the smells of a half-dozen different food vendors. Students bustled up and down the street, some on foot others on scooters or bicycles, many of them heading toward their dormitories or stopping at one of the cafes lining the street for a quick bite to eat. And, looming on the horizon as always, the world tree towered as it violated any form of botanical sense.

Sonoda, as local, paid the improbably large tree no attention however and was instead focused on the young woman in the long coat and pointed hat. "Right….You do realize building don't talk, right?"

"Obviously," Yue replied as she dodged a past a stall keeper hawking his merchandise. "She's a person, not a building. I thought that was obvious."

"And I thought it was obvious that people didn't disappear into puffs of smoke in back alleys," Sonoda replied, "I've been wrong once today – I figure that I'm better off not making assumptions at this point."

"Then you're learning," Yue replied after a moment. Her attention, however, was no longer on the Inspector. She had seen it as she was getting past the stall keeper – a white van, crawling along up the street. She would have figured it was looking for a spot to park – if it hadn't just passed an opening or three. Instead it just continued along at a pedestrian pace, stalking the foot traffic down the street.

"You saw it too?" Yue spun around at Sonoda's sudden statement as much from the change in his tone from a moment before as well as the sudden statement. Sonoda was apparently busying himself with some idle window-shopping, but his gaze was nowhere near the displayed wears. Yue started to open her mouth, but Sonoda cut her off. "Act natural – we don't want to tip them off."

Yue considered for a moment, and then went over to stand next to Sonoda in front of the window, one eye trained of the reflection of the van in the window. Still acting like she was studying the window display – apparently it was some sort of cake shop – she spoke in a silent voice. "When did you notice?"

"Right before you dodged that guy at the stall," Sonoda replied, "Think we should take them?"

"No," Yue replied, "too many people. They shouldn't try anything here. Besides, I don't think they want to attack us. They could have jumped us a while ago if that was their plan."

"In that case, we should keep moving." With that, Sonoda straightened out and continued along the sidewalk, his eyes scanning along the storefronts – and the van's reflection. The game of cat and mouse continued down the street, neither side willing to commit to any action in such a public space.

That is, until whoever was in the van got bored and decided to try something anyway. Yue let out a sigh as the van pulled into an open spot, putting the pair between a van and an alley and disgorging a pair of thugs. Why did nobody play by her rules?

Sonoda seemed to pick up on her aggravation and grinned as he reached for something at his waist. "So much for not…" The rest of the sentence was cut off as both of them realized the truth of the situation. The van hadn't attacked because it was waiting for them to get into position.

She wasn't sure if they had misjudged the situation, or if they had just been over eager. Sonoda was the first to see them – another pair of thugs dashing out of the shadows of the alley, swords raised to attack. Sonoda was closer to the alley, but unlike Yue he hadn't turned to face the van just yet. A few seconds later and he would have had his back sliced open. Instead, the attacker's eagerness gave him an opening.

His hand flew up from his waist, empty, and grabbed the would-be attacker by the wrist. A quick twist and the swordsman lost his sword with a wail of agony before the Inspector brought his other hand up, grabbed him and in a single smooth motion slammed the assailant back-first into the concrete at his accomplice's feet.

The second one took the longer path past Sonoda towards Yue. She dodged to the side, avoiding the first lethal slice with far less room then she would prefer. Her hand wrapped around a hilt as she dodged, and with a grin she brought up the pilfered sword to block the attackers second strike before sending him back with a push.

Yue took the brief break to check on Sonoda again. Another attacker had engaged him with a knife, the third busy dragging his ally toward the waiting van. Around them, a small group of civilians had started watching the strange scene with varying levels of interest.

Sonoda dodged another knife slash before delivering a kick to the wielder's gut, sending him reeling back before dropping back into a rough defensive stance. Sonoda rolled his eyes before reaching at his waist again and pulling out a revolver. Yue didn't know much about guns – just that this one looked like one she might have seen on a police special once.

Sonoda used his to shoot the knife-wielder in the foot.

The sudden crack of a gun firing sent most of the spectators running, though the pained wailing and cursing from the attacker probably didn't help. The entire spectacle had lasted, at most, 30 seconds. The entire fight, from the van pulling up to now had maybe been three times that. Sonoda's actions gave the rest of the attackers a moment of pause. Yue's own opponent turned back to her, studying her as if trying to decide whether or not she was going to pull a gun out as well.

Yue tried her new sword with a flourish. It had no crossguard, and the curved, single-edged blade shined in the sunlight. A small grin crossed Yue's face. "Come on," She raised the blade as she dropped into a well-practiced stance. "I could use another."

The swordsman charged in with a rapid thrust that Yue quickly parried before counter attacking. The counter-attack was met by a counter of its own. The fight quickly devolved into a series of rapid slashes, strikes, and blocks.

Sonoda meanwhile was having his own problems. One of the other mooks had decided to reintroduce themselves via another overhead slash. Some people – better trained, more suicidal people – might have tried for a barehanded catch. Sonoda, however, had to settle for blocking it with his revolver. He winced as he watched the blade bite into the metal before pushing back. His position didn't give him much by the way of leverage though – he barely had enough time to get back onto his feet before he had to parry again. And every parry was accompanied by a set of sparks as the sword slammed into the gun repeatedly. That couldn't be good for the mechanism.

What he needed was space. So, on the guy's next lunge, he tried something different. Instead of just blocking it, he deflected it. The swordsman stumbled as he overreached himself. Sonoda brought up his leg, delivering a vicious kick to the thugs side that sent him reeling. It only bought him a few seconds, but that was all Sonoda needed.

The swordsman brought his blade up again and froze as he came face-to-muzzle with Sonoda's revolver. The swordsman moved to swing and Sonoda squeezed the trigger.

Both froze as absolutely nothing happened. Sonoda took a moment to check is gun and confirm that, yes, it was actually broken. Something had gotten inside and was stopping the cylinder from advancing. "Damn," Sonoda turned back to the swordsman. "That was my favorite gun." Any further comment was cut short as the swordsman charged in again. With his gun now useful only to stop the giant piece of metal being swung at his head, Sonoda was reduced to using kicks and punches whenever he could find an opening. "Some help," He bit out between dodges, "Would be appreciated."

"A little busy!" Yue yelled back as she parried another of her own opponent's attacks. It was obvious that he had training of some sort or another. Probably kendo club, based off his technique. He had done a decent job translating the skills to actual combat, but that was it. He had never trained for actual combat, and likely never expected that he would ever find himself in a sword fight with anybody near his skill level – let alone above it. But he was in a sword fight now, and his opponent had been trained for actual combat – and been in actual combat. Against most opponents he would have performed admirably, and likely even won.

But Yue Ayase was not most opponents. She had gauged his skills and, while admirable, had found them lacking. "Not bad," Yue deflected another of the strikes, but this time with far more force than before. "But not enough" Yue shifted her stance, and the attacker suddenly found himself on the defensive. "Your attacks are too easy to read, your feints are obvious and your defenses are full of holes." A flourish of her blade sent her opponent's own weapon flying as he stumbled back and landed on his rear with a thud. Yue's swing continued, the blade crossing the distance between the two fighting pairs, rising up in an arc between Sonoda and the other swordsman, sending both of the back out of reflex.

In an instant, Yue's blade was back down in front of her own opponent. "Yield" Surprisingly, her opponent seemed to do just that, flattening his self out on the ground and covering his head. Yue was caught off-guard by the sudden change in behavior, but before she could put any thought into it, another sound grabbed her attention.

She looked up just in time to catch the van's side door sliding open again as Sonoda's opponent ducked inside. But, instead of unloading more thugs, what appeared instead was a multi-barreled minigun. Yue's mind quickly noticed several features of the gun. At the forefront was the glowing circle of runes near the back. It looked almost exactly like the Sagitta magica minigun Paru had mounted on her airship years ago – which was strange, since she was certain that had been a one-off. Key word was 'almost' – the system was bulkier, more robust. Several tubes and what seemed like magazine feeds led off of it and into the back of the van.

Sonoda, however, noticed none of these details. Instead, all he noticed was that the massive fully-automatic weapon was spinning up. "Down!" With a shout he leapt across the space, tackling Yue to the ground an instant before crimson bolts of energy ripped through the air where she had been standing.

The panicked screams of the nearby civilians was drowned out by the droning buzz of the gun's fire. The gun must have been fairly fixed, since the shots continued to race over their heads, pinning them to the ground. After what seemed like an eternity, the fire tapered off and Yue risked raising her head. She looked up in time to catch the tail end of the van disappearing around the nearest corner. "Well," Sonoda started, still lying flat on the ground as he took stock of the damage to the alley around him. "That was different. You alright?"

"I'm fine," Yue assured him. "Thanks for the save." Yue mentally kicked herself. She had gotten so engrossed in the fight, that she had forgotten that she wasn't back in Ariadne – she didn't have her barriers up at the moment. Without them, those bolts would have ripped her in half. "You?"

"Dazed, and confused," Sonoda replied, rising to his feet and offering Yue a hand. "but otherwise alright. You do realize you nearly cut my nose off with that little sword trick of yours, right?"

Yue accepted the offered hand, getting back to her feet before dusting herself off. "You'd have lived." She started when she suddenly realize she no longer had the sword – she must have lost it when Sonoda tackled her. Yue rolled her shoulders, making sure she hadn't accidentally over done anything. "I haven't had a decent sword fight in while."

Sonoda raised an eyebrow. "You've been in sword fights before?"

"I wasn't always a teacher." Yue gave her coat a quick check. Luckily, no holes, but one of the epaulettes had been cut lose near the collar. Maybe the swordsman had been better then she thought.

Sonoda's eyebrow rose a little higher. "You're a teacher?"

Yue simply sighed, deciding she was better off not responding and just changed the subject. "We'd better head back and report this."

"I think it's a little late for that, Ayase." Sonoda gestured around them. Behind them, the stone walls were now pock-marked with pits slightly smaller than her fist, some of them still smoking. Up and down the sidewalk, pedestrians were starting to come out of their hiding spots to take a look at the aftermath. "Do you think that they were trying to stop us from seeing this friend of yours?"

Yue shook her head. "Unlikely – There's no reasonable way they could have learned about our plans so fast."

"So our friend from the alley is already looking for some payback, is it?" Sonoda mused. The concept didn't seem to bother him as much as it might other people.

"I don't think that's it either." Yue replied. "Just doesn't feel the same." Though, she would admit, there were definitely similarities – especially in when and where they attacked. "But we're getting off-topic – we need to report this. Someone's probably already called the police."

"Exactly," Sonoda dusted himself off. "Let them take of this. We have a case to work on."

"We can't just leave without making a statement," As if to punctuate her statement, the drone of siren blared through the air as a police cruiser pulled around the cruiser and came to a stop where the van had been minutes before. Yue pointed over her shoulder at the arriving officer as he stepped out of the car. "And I don't think he's going to just let us leave."

Sonoda grinned. "Sure he is – watch." Sonoda proceeded to stride past Yue, pulling out his own badge as he approached the officer and showing it to him. "I'm Inspector Sonoda with the SDO – my partner and I are in the middle of a case." He snapped his badge shut with a snap and tucked it back into his jacket. "I need you to cordon off the alley and the sidewalk until forensics arrives. Contact Chief Superintendent Yanagisawa over at the Special District Office, and get this transferred over to there." Sonoda gave the officer a moment to look utterly lost. "You get all of that?"

The officer gaped like a fish for a moment, Seemingly unprepared for the sudden string of orders, before giving Sonoda a quick salute. "Y-Yes sir! I'll get right on it!"

"Good man." Sonoda turned back to Yue. "See? Good to go."

Yue sighed. "Let's get going then." Yue gave the officer a polite nod as she started down the street, Sonoda quickly falling into step behind her.

"After you," Sonoda said. "Where exactly are we going, anyway?"

"You'll see when we get there." 'There' turned out to be The Mahora University College of Archeology. The building was composed of a pair of three story wings, joined together by an eight story main hall, all roofed in red and walled in white. It actually looked, now that Yue thought about it, a lot like their old dormitory, if a little more ornate. Instead of the single story windows of the dormitory, the college building had massive glass panes that stretched across three stories, letting in large amounts of day's light inside. Entry was also much more elaborate, the pathway leading up to a pair of large glass doors, past which was a lobby filled with tables and chairs for students to work at or wait for lectures.

Sonoda looked around, impressed. "Nice place. Your friend a teacher here?"

"Teacher's aide" Yue corrected him. "Come on, she's usually upstairs." Yue led them up one of the stair cases before leading them into the maze of offices and classrooms inside the main hall. This late in the day, the floors were nearly empty, save for a few small classes that were already letting out and the cleaning staff.

Soon, the closely spaced, single doors of the class rooms gave way to the more widely spaced double-doors of the lab spaces. The occasional window provided views inside at the various pieces of equipment. Finally, buried somewhere inside the sixth story, they came to a stop outside what looked like another pair of doors of just another laboratory. This one had no windows, just a plaque that read 'Artifact Restoration and Identification Lab 3'

Yue rapped on the door, eliciting a muffled 'come in' from inside. Accepting the invitation, Yue pushed to door open and entered. The lab was filled with rows of tables and work stations, most of them covered in various vats and tubs. Resting inside were a hundred different items, most of them unidentifiable through the layers of muck an age that covered them. Other tables were set up with computer stations or microscopes, tools and texts piled up on the shelves above them. On the back wall, just visible past the rest of the equipment in the room, a set of floor-to-ceiling bookcases could just be made out.

Nestled in the middle of one of the rows, hunched over a work station, a young woman was working with what looked like an ancient plate with a set of stalk-mounted lights providing better illumination under the view of an oversized magnifying glass. She seemed to be very focused on whatever she was doing, her one free hand moving up to sweep back a loose strand of purple hair back over her ear without looking up. "I'm sorry, but could you just give me a moment? I'm almost done with this…."

"No rush," Yue assured her.

The purple-haired young woman froze for a moment before quickly turning to Yue. Her eyes widened in surprise as she quickly rose to her feet, the silver tool she had been using set aside as she strode up the row toward them. "Yue!" She exclaimed happily, a smile crossing her face before shifting into a confused frown. "I thought you were moving today?"

"So did I," Yue replied before turning to Sonoda. "Sonoda, meet Nodoka Miyazaki. Nodoka, Inpector Masamichi Sonoda."

Sonoda gave a polite bow. "A pleasure to meet you again, Miss Miyazaki."

Nodoka returned the bow, straightening out her lab coat as she rose. "Likewise, Inspector Sonoda."

Yue looked between the two of them, surprised. "You two have met?"

"The office needed some work done at the lab here once," Sonoda explained. "Some sort of artifact smuggling. The usual tech wasn't in, but Miss Miyazaki was nice enough to help us out."

Nodoka waved his hands, embarrassed. "It was nothing, really! Though, I am wondering why you two are here together."

Sonoda shrugged. "Ring Wraith"

Nodoka simply looked at him, confused. Yue sighed. "Somebody got incinerated in front of the station down near the Old City. The perp rabbited."

"And your new place is near the station," Nodoka replied, seeming to realize something. "What do you need from me then?"

Yue began reaching into her pocket before pausing and turning to Sonoda. "Could you watch the door?"

Sonoda looked at Yue, puzzled. "You think that somebody could have followed us in this maze?"

"I think I don't want to take any chances," Yue answered. "Don't worry; I'll come get you if we find anything."

"Right," Sonoda sighed as he started heading back out to the hallway. "Because you leaving me out is exactly what I'm worried about."

"As opposed to the mooks with the minigun?" Yue suggested quietly as they got out of earshot of Nodoka. Sonoda simply replied with a shrug before slipping out the door.

"Nice guy," Nodoka commented as Yue walked back over to her. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We didn't until this morning." Yue replied. "And I still haven't had a chance to unpack. But that's not why I'm here."

"I didn't think so," Nodoka said. "You have something you want me to look at?"

"And it's from out of town," Yue pulled the piece of metal from her pocket. "I was hoping you could tell me where and what from."

"Hmm…" Nodoka plucked the piece from Yue's hand, carefully looking it over with a trained eye. If anybody would be able to identify what it was, it was Nodoka. She had gotten her start back in Mundus Magicas over their 'vacation' in Junior High. Instead of ending up at an academy for mage-knights, though, she had joined up with a band of treasure hunters. She had studied and earned degrees in both worlds, getting very good at identifying both normal and magical artifacts. Though, she had admitted to Yue before, she much preferred the treasure hunting to the lab.

"It looks like it might be marked," Nodoka finally said, "Have you tried looking it up?"

"I couldn't make out the marking," Yue replied. "I can't use my artifact if I don't know what I'm looking for."

"Hmm…." Nodoka walked over to one of the tables, pulling one of the magnifiers over to get a better look at the object. "It is fairly corroded. It looks like someone tried to restore and botched the job. I'll have to scan it."

"Scan it?" Yue asked.

Nodoka nodded. "Just came in from the engineering department for testing." She led them around to another station where a large, sleek, cylinder-like device was waiting. "It uses ultrasonics to read map the object through the surface deposits. It gives us a better idea of how to clean them – less likely to accidentally remove parts of the artifact."

"Couldn't you just clean it normally?"

"I'm assuming you don't have three weeks to wait." Nodoka responded. "The advantage of this is it gives us a virtual model of the object." Nodoka pressed a button on top of the device, causing the front to slide open with a pneumatic hiss. "This should only take an hour or so." She slotted the piece into the stand in the center before sealing the system shut with another press of a button. Another few keystrokes and the device whirred to live, a low hum indicating that it had begun its work. "Now all we have to do is wait." Nodoka turned back to Yue. "So, based off of how you sent Sonoda out, he isn't exactly briefed on this sort of thing?"

"No reason to." Yue shrugged. "If the guy had started throwing fireballs in the alley, maybe. But he just teleported out." She began to pace down the row, idly looking over the pieces of equipment until she noticed something. Along one of the walls, tucked between two book cases was a window. She hadn't seen it when she came in because the row of equipment was in the way. The curtains were drawn shut, but a quick peek showed a view overlooking most of Mahora. There were better views – the view from the roof of her old junior high among them – but it was nice none the less. It had a clean view down one of the avenues and across most of the surrounding buildings as well as a decent view of the square near the world tree. "Did you know you could see the square from here?"

"Oh? No." Nodoka shook her head. "That window pretty much stays shut most of the time – Some of the other technicians don't like the glare."

"Shame," Yue continued to look at the window, the familiar square bringing back memories even from a distance. "I think that was the spot that Mana had to cover during the school festival."

"You mean back in Junior high?" Nodoka looked up from the paperwork she was filling out, tapping the pen against her chin until she remembered something with an 'ah'. "You mean the time she had to stop anybody from confessing so that they wouldn't accidentally trigger the tree?"

"I wonder what would have happened if somebody had," Yue thought out loud. Even with everything she had learned between now and then, she was still fuzzy on how exactly the World Tree worked. Then again, it wasn't a topic she had spent a lot of time looking in to – perhaps if somebody had triggered the tree, there wouldn't have been any energy to power Chao's forced recognition spell. But would that have been a good thing…?

Yue shook her head, banishing the thoughts. It was long since passed the reasonable time to ask 'what ifs' about that festival. Besides, that hadn't been what she was thinking of. "I was actually thinking of later. Remember when Asuna made Negi confess to his crush?"

Nodoka tried and failed to suppress her laughter. "The mass clothing removal, or her reaction to Negi's confession?" Nodoka's tone made it obvious they both knew who 'her' was.

"Well, we did think it was somebody like him." Yue grinned. "And considering how everyone had a crush on him…" Their trip down memory lane was interrupted as the machine finally beeped.

"Ah, it's done." Nodoka commented the same way most would over a batch of cookies. She rolled her seat across the aisle to the machine, pulling up the results on an adjacent monitor. A few keystrokes and a smile spread across her face. "Much better. Care to take a look?"

Yue strode over to the monitor as Nodoka turned it to face her. On the screen was a three-dimensional model of the metal piece, now as a wire frame. Slowly, the frame filled in with the flat grey color you usually see on half-finished computer models as it rotated to show the top. What had once been an obscure set of scribbles was now a clearly defined marking. "Lovely. Now I know what to look for."

"I can save you some trouble," Nodoka replied, her wheeled chair again on the move. Yue had the suspicion that she preferred the wheeled chair for more than just the improved mobility. "It's a proof mark."

Yue raised an eyebrow. "A proof mark?"

"You see them on antique firearms here on Mundus Vetus. Guns would be sent to the government – often the crown in old Europe – and tested to make sure they worked properly and didn't explode. If they passed, they were stamped with a mark of proof. Certain magic items are similarly tested."

"You mean like Negi's antique magic guns?" Nodoka asked, intrigued.

"Other things as well," Nodoka replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if Asuna's sword had one. Chisame's staff might have one – Likely more technical then this one though. Most devices have to get tested at some point. Kind of like car safety tests for a new model." She had by this point brought her chair to a stop in front of a locked cabinet. She fished a key out of her pocket and slipped it into a lock near the bottom. With a turn of the key, the lowest drawer popped open with a click. Inside were a collection of leather-bound tomes. While most might think that Nodoka, running her fingers over the spines as she sorted through them, was searching for some sort of ancient spell tome, Nodoka knew better. Most of the spell books Nodoka had ever found had found there ways into museums or private collection in the process of helping pay for her degree. No, these books were far more valuable to a treasure-hunter like Nodoka.

They were references.

With an 'ah' Nodoka's hand came to a stop over a book near the back, pulling it out before carefully cracking it open. Practiced fingers deftly turned the pages as she scanned over the contents, before coming to a stop. "Found it," Nodoka turned the book around, showing it to Yue. Sure enough, the page showed a much larger version of the mark from the piece. "It's Old Ostian. The maker in particular made some type of device."

"Incendiary?" Yue asked.

Nodoka shook her head. "Some sort of ready-use device." Nodoka leaned back in her chair, laying the book on the table. "I've read about these before. Supposedly, the owner could use them without using any of their own magic."

"Like a catalyst." Yue had heard the story about Negi's first fight with Evangeline from Negi himself – the cursed vampire had used catalyst potions to get around her lack of power.

"Not quite." Nodoka corrected. "A catalyst still requires some of the user's magic to activate it, and still requires the user to control it. A device like this is self-contained. It stores and deploys the magic on its own."

"Like a grenade," Yue thought. Or a firebomb. "Thanks for the help Nodoka."

"Are you sure this is alright?" the Archeologist asked, worried. "I mean, you haven't even been here for a year…"

"If it will make you feel any better," Yue replied as she approached the door, "I promise I'll call Setsuna if I think I'm in over my head."

Nodoka nodded, relaxing a little as she returned to her own work. Once out the door, she found herself almost immediately face-to-face with Sonoda. "So, find anything?"

"Looks like our suspect has been hanging around an archeological dig." Yue replied. "I'll have to do some research, but I should have an idea by tomorrow afternoon."

"Research?" Sonoda sighed. "Well, better than nothing. How can I help?"

"By staying out of my way," Yue replied. She really didn't want to try and explain a book with an internet connection. No matter how good tablets were getting, she was certain none of them had holograms.

"I just spent I don't know how long standing in front of a door being paranoid," Sonoda replied. "Besides, this is my case. I should at least have an advisory role. The Chief doesn't like it when I just show up with evidence anyway."

Yue mulled it over, before an idea struck her. "Fine, but I've got to get into the records at the Library. Library Island usually gets reports on just about every major dig on the planet – they're the only place with enough room to store all of them, since most places haven't bothered with digital records yet. We'll have to get down to library island tomorrow morning and start looking for a dig that matches our piece." More specifically, Send Sonoda on a goose chase while she finds the actual site and fabricates something.

Gods, this was becoming such a headache. Maybe she should just tell him everything and risk the fur coat.

Sonoda nodded. "Alright then - See you there bright and early. Think you can make your own way home?"

"I think I can manage," Yue replied. "See you tomorrow, Inspector."

"Miss Ayase," With a polite bow, Sonoda made his exit. Yue soon followed him. The sun was already dropping below the horizon by now, and sleep was sorely tempting after such a long day. Unfortunately, Yue had one other thing to look into to….

And across town, somebody else was also looking at a sleepless night.

Asahi Yanagisawa had not spoken to the woman in front of him in a while. Sure, they had talked on occasion – the few times that their jobs had crossed paths, they had treated each other with an air of cool professionalism, something you wouldn't expect from a pair of people who had repeatedly escaped the jaws of death together.

They had talked, but truly spoken to each other? Not in five years. But every break ended at some point.

"What do you need Kuzunoha?" Asahi growled.

"I need you to transfer the station case to Internal," The blonde swordsman reported tersely, Using the nickname for the Academy's self-contained police force.

"No."

Kuzunoha raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No," Yanagisawa repeated. "You already have somebody on the case, so why should I hand it over when it's obviously in my jurisdiction?"

"You knew she was from me?" The swordsman asked.

"I could tell she already had a boss." The chief made a show of pulling out another cigarette, rolling it between his fingers a few times before carefully lighting it. "And last I checked, you were the only one around here with an interest in sending mages into police stations."

"You were always good at reading people, Asahi." Kuzunoha grinned. "And you were always stubborn."

"Stubborn has nothing to do with this, Toko." Yanagisawa released a puff of smoke. "And everything to do with why I said no."

Kuzunoha sighed. "I do not understand why you will not cooperate and let us insert anybody into the office."

"Because you want to insert them," Yanasigawa replied. "Because your idea of 'cooperation' looks a lot like 'subservience.' You might have the rest of the forces around here dancing to your tune, but I won't. This is my town, and I will be treated as an equal."

"The forces involved here are not normal." Kuzunoha warned.

"This is Mahora, nothing is normal," Yanasigawa shrugged. "If they were really that bad, you all wouldn't have run to another planet. You want to work with me? Fine, but I expect to be treated like an equal and I expect to keep control of my own case."

Kuzunoha sighed. "What happened, Asahi? What happened to us?"

Yanasigawa leaned back in his chair. "I stayed, He left. I'll send a report down to your office once I have something, Miss Kuzunoha."

Kuzunoha bowed. "Thank you, Chief Superintendent Yanasigawa. Now if you will excuse me…"

She was halfway to the door before he said anything. "One last thing," The chief paused for a moment. "Thanks for sending the girl over."

Kuzunoha bowed again, a small grin on her face. "My pleasure."


	5. Notice Of Absence

This is a notice of absence to inform my readers that I will be unable to write for the next several months as I will be without computer and internet access. I should be back to writing by March.


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